Exclusive: Mischief will debut their first musical comedy next year.
Titled Thespians, the new production will run for a limited nine-week UK tour from May 2026, opening at Mercury Theatre Colchester.
Set in 534 BC, the piece follows Greece’s smallest island as it competes in a nationwide prayer competition led by a tyrant, where the losing team faces execution. Things take a turn when Thespis accidentally invents acting, sparking the world’s first play and the birth of theatre.
The show is written by Jonathan Sayer, co-writer of The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, with music by Ed Zanders, musical director of Mischief Movie Night.
The show is the next in a busy year for the Mischief crew, who have recently wrapped up their spell performing The Comedy About Spies in the West End, with Christmas Carol Goes Wrong next due to run on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Sayer said today: “I’ve always loved musicals and it’s been a total joy to co-write one, especially with such a skilled composer as Ed. I think the show is full of heart, great songs plus the laughter and mayhem that you’d expect in a Mischief show. We can’t wait to share it with audiences next year.”
Thespians will premiere in Colchester in May, with full tour dates available here.
Casting and creative team for the show are to be revealed.
